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Monday, December 15, 2008

My Christmas Wish List

As I was making the gear guides I wondered what would be the best possible set of gear. I had thought about this before during BC but with so many raids available it was difficult to get a grasp on it. However, as we all know WotLK raiding currently consists of 3 instances. Two of which have a single boss. So here my stab at it.

Methodology:1. I didn't use any sophisticated math to come of up with the list. I used my general knowledge of the stats to pick which one would be the best for DPS. In that effort I fell back on the general value equation of Hit > Spell Power > Haste > Crit. For this reason you will find a lot more haste items in the list then crit items.

2. I used a Hit cap of 262 to focus my hit gatherings. This assumes you have a shadow priest or are using Imp FF. Alliance Moonkin can take this down to 236, because I assume that they have a Draenei in raid.

3. DPS was the primary factor in ranking items. Mana regen and other considerations were only thought about when two items had very similar levels of DPS stats. This is why you see very little Spirit and Mp5 in the list.

Disclaimer: I am in no way suggesting that this is the ideal set of gear that everyone should shoot for. We all have different priorities and different raiding situations. Plus, this set has over 20% haste from gear alone. I don't know if this level of haste is sustainable with this level of mana regen. I also don't think there are enough weeks between now and when the next content patch drops to realistically have a change to get everything. This list does give me a goal but in reality is probably more of a fantasy.

Head:[Valorous Dreamwalker Cover] - Kel'Thuzad - Naxx 25 - This is Best in Slot (BIS in future) by far. This is not that surprising since it is a tier piece and tier pieces should be itemized for us almost perfectly.

Chest:[Valorous Dreamwalker Vestments] - Four Horsemen - Naxx 25 - If your below the hit cap and don't consider the set bonuses there are a couple of chests that are better. However, the set bonuses are great and I have found many other fine ways to get to the hit cap. Therefore I consider this to be BIS.

Legs:[Leggings of the Wanton Spellcaster] - Malygos - Eye of Eternity 25 - This is the only deviation from the set bonus and it is so for good reason. It is an item level above most of the Naxx gear and has a ton of Spell Power and Hit on it. Even if you exclude the Hit this item is better then the tier pants. These pants are simply awesome. However, be prepared for a fight to get them. Malygos is not an easy boss like much of Naxx is so you probably won't get as many shots at them as you might for other items. Second, every mage, warlock, and shadow priest in your raid will want these pants. Don't be surprised if you catch some grief for rolling on these, because they are cloth. They are that good.

Neck:[Wyrmrest Necklace of Power] - Quest Reward - Heroic Judgment at the Eye of Eternity- While this is technically a quest reward it will not be easy to obtain. First you will have to get [Heroic Key to the Focusing Iris] off of 25 Sapphiron. It starts a quest and is the key to the Eye of Eternity. Most guilds will give this to tanks and guild leaders first to ensure they have access to the zone. After that it will probably be a /roll since it is not an actual piece of loot. After you get the Key you will get the Heroic Judgment at the Eye of Eternityquest. For this quest you will have to kill Malygos. Again this is not easy. This neck is very nice and is BIS even if you exclude the Hit. You can get a slightly worse version of this neck by completing a similar process on the 10 man level.

Back:[Pennant Cloak] - Sartharion + 2 drakes - Obsidian Sanctum 25 - This is probably the best caster cloak in the game. You will be competing with not just DPS for this cloak since plenty of healers will want it also. Also, it is not something you will get a ton of shots at since Sartharion with two drakes up is very tough.

Wrists:[Bindings of the Expansive Mind]- Instructor Razuvious - Naxx 25 - These are very nice wrists with Hit, Crit and Spell Power. These are the best option for Tauren Druids but Night Elf Druids may want to look at [Unsullied Cuffs]. These don't have any hit or crit, but have more spell power and some haste. However, they will also be difficult to get since they drop off of Sartharion with two drakes up.

Ring 1:[Signet of Manifested Pain] - Kel'Thuzad - Naxx 25 - This is an extremely well rounded ring with a bunch of Spell Power, Haste and Crit. This is by far the best ring available.

Ring 2:[Band of Channeled Magic] - 25 Emblems of Valor - Most of the rings available aren't very DPS focused. A lot of them have spirit or Mp5. So that is how this ring got up here. I was actually pretty surprised when it turned out to me my number two ring. However, If your looking for hit check out [Signet of the Malevolent]. The shear quantity of Hit on this ring will make it desirable for most casters. Don't be surprised if you hear that clothies consider this to be one of their top two rings period. Since it is a Naxx10 drop off of Gothik the Harvester it shouldn't be to hard to get.

Belt:[Leash of Heedless Magic] - Malygos - Eye of Eternity 25 - It has a ton of Spell Power and Haste, which make it awesome. Expect to compete with all the clothies for this item.

Feet:[Footsteps of Malygos] - Malygos - Eye of Eternity 10 - The great thing about these boots is that you should have very little competition for them. Resto Druids should pass to you since they don't have any spirit and they don't need a lot of Crit or Haste. Since they are Leather, only Moonkin and Elemental shaman should have any interest in them. Anyway, they are a well rounded boot and are perfectly itemized for a moonkin.

Trinket 1:[Embrace of the Spider] - Maexxna - Naxx10 - There aren't a whole lot of Spell Power trinkets in the game and this is the only one that has a proc based ability that is good for DPS. However, there are some good trinkets that supply the other DPS stats. If your looking for Crit, Hit, or Haste, you can find better options for this slot.

Trinket 2:[Illustration of the Dragon Soul] - Sartharion - Obsidian Sanctum 25 - This trinket is just like the old Darkmoon Faire trinket except that it only works for casters. It won't be as good on fights like Gothek that have a lot of down time, but on more constant DPS fights you can maintain a 260 Spell Power buff. Only a weapon can give you more Spell Power from a single slot.

Main Hand:[Torch of Holy Fire] - Kel'Thuzad - Naxx25 - It is not perfectly itemized for a moonkin. In fact I think it is a little better suited for Pally or Priest healer, but the fact that it has 520 spell power makes it the best in slot. I would live to trade in the Mp5 for some DPS stats so that it looked more like [Wraith Strike] or [Hammer of the Astral Plane], but you can't get around the fact that it has 59 more spell power then the next best weapon available.

Off Hand:[Surplus Limb] - Patchwerk - Naxx25 - There aren't a whole lot of good off hands currently available in the game. A lot of them are really focused on mana regen with Mp5 and Spirit. This item on the other hand is just very well itemized for a moonkin with a lot of Hit, Haste and Spell Power. Plus, you get to carry an arm around with you where ever you go.

Idol:[Idol of the Shooting Star] - Instructor Razuvious - Naxx25 - Not hard to guess given that there are very few balance focused Idols currently in WotLK. I picked this idol because Starfire is still my main spell even though I am playing around with Eclipse, and the SF idol helps Starfire a little more then the Wrath Idol helps wrath. What I would really like for blizzard to make an updated version of the [Idol of the Raven Goddess]. I'm still not completely sure that this isn't the best raid idol currently available.

Anyway, that is my WoW Christmas wish list. Most of these items are on top because they are an Item level above most of what you find in Naxx and such, and I have almost no shot of getting all of this but it is something nice to shoot for.

12 comments:

Grey!!! Please help me... i'm really get confused about hit/spell/haste/crit... really!!!I'm farming the pre-naxx equips but i'm always undecided when i've to choose between loots or rewards... Because there's a lot of epic items (low level epics, taken from heroic or with reputations/badges) with haste, and only few with hit...If you've time to check my equip and my stats, i'll be grateful if you can send me your impressions and advices.

Grey - you are becoming the BRK of the Laser Chicken community !As a convert from a raiding hunter to a raiding as moonkin I'm loving reading your blog.

Quick question:

1) Why are you not spec'ed into Gale winds?

I'm seeing lots of 3-5 pack trash pulls so far in the heroics and beginning raids. So I'm dropping 2-3 casts of hurricane during a trash pull and watching it hit for 1-1.3 per click on 3-5 mobs. Seems much more mana efficient with the trash than to single target.Also, with the hurricane glyph there is a 20% attack speed slow debuff on all the mobs in the pack as well resulting in less heals needed on the tank. The healers i've whispered noticed it but thought it was the tanks gear/mitigation. The trade off is my mana regen by only having the points to spec 1/3 in intensity. But my spirit is 464 so I'm not seeing much impact, yet.

I took a look at your armory and I think your doing a pretty well. It's obvious that you have run a lot of heroics and have put some serious work into your gear. Hit cap wise you should be fine for 25 mans, because you should pick up 4% from a shadow priest and the dreanie racial.

Other then that just remember the priority. Spell Power is the most important stat after Hit. Haste and Crit just supplement your DPS in different ways. Haste will increase your DPS a little more but will cause you to have more mana issues. Crit is better if you have mana problems.

@ Josh

Thanks for the very kind comments. I don't think I will ever be close to BRK, but the thought is appreciated.

I don't have Gale Winds because I don't know where I would pull the points from, and Hurricane has very little use during boss fights.

It is my philosiphy that raiding is really about the boss fights and what happens in between is of little importance. That is why you might have heard me say trash rotations are unimportant. Of the 15 bosses in Naxx there are only 5 where AoE could be used and only one where it might be important. So I don't think Gale Winds would help me much in raid.

This doesn't mean I won't pick it up in the future. If I get to a point where I don't think I need the mana regen then I may pick it up, I could also pick it up depending on how my eclipse exparaments go.

An elitistjerks study pretty much proved that actually http://www.wowhead.com/?item=40255 is superior to all other trinkets. Hell, it can even take a point out of BoP or save you a hell of a lot of +hit itemization.

Quick comment - I believe that the Draenai racial is still just applying to the group, not the entire raid.. so Alliance moonkin like myself may still want to aim for 262. Myself, I just had the RL for our Sanctum 25-man yesterday spread the Draenai out so there was one in every group, but I've been in raids where there simply aren't five to spread out.. just something to keep in mind.

Great list though, I really appreciate the crit vs haste vs hit comparisons you've done in this post and previously. This former tree is easily confused sometimes ;) Thanks!

Grey,Im looking at your spec and thinking why not get a hit enchant so you can stay above cap and take points out of BoP and invest in Dreamstate. Only 2 points not 3 but find that it really helpful in long boss fights. I have about 15k mana and go OOM after my innervate while boss is still at about 15%. It kinda sucks just standing there casting a wrath every 10 seconds... any tips?

I have also heard tricks in using Innervate at 70% mana so you can use it again after 6 minutes in a really long boss fight. Ever hear this trick?

I could be wrong but I do remember seeing it on me when I didn't have a draenei in my group. I'll have to check it out in my next raid. Remember that it could be a range issue. 30 yards isn't that big.

@ Beefiest

If you are having mana issues and need to pick up more regen then BoP is not the first talent I would drop to pick up Dreamstate. I would drop Imp Moonfire first.

As a general rule I don't like enchants other then Spell Power enchants, because you can get all of the hit, crit and haste you need elsewhere.

That said here are a few other tips.

1. I don't now what your spec is but pick up as many regen talents as you can. OOC, Intensity, Dreamstate are all good talents.

2. Definately cast Innervate early if you can. This is what I used to do back in the BC days and it worked a like a charm. There is an addon called Innervator that can help you time it.

3. If you do go oom and the boss still has a lot of health, stop casting for 15 - 20 seconds. Your non casting regen is a lot higher then your casting regen Use it to your advantage.

4. When building your gear focus on Crit a little more then haste. Most of my regen comes from Crit actually, and haste is a mana hog.

Nice choice of gear. I still haven't completely given myself to whether I want to stack crit or haste; I have no problems with mana regen (I picked up Dreamstate + Intensity). I usually end 25 man fights with 90%+ of my mana pool still up, even while innervating healers or the shadow priests.

Realistically, I want the trinket from Sarth, Wraith Strike, and a few other items on your list.

Good luck getting all that gear though, all that Maly25 gear looks tough to get (I just downed Maly10 last week), but its nice to aspire to some leet loot.

Not sure if you included any BoE epics when you made this list, I picked up some nice boots which look pretty similar to the Maly25 ones, except they are cloth, and have hit instead of crit.

Very informative and your gear choices are solid and is what I am aiming for as well, with exception of a couple of pieces that I have my own opinion on.

Unfortunately, the sad reality is that in my guild I am not allowed to roll on any cloth unless every mage, lock or shadow passes. We are a caster dps heavy guild... so I am out of luck for a long, long time.

We use the Suicide King loot system, which I do love. But the funny thing is that I have been first in line on the loot table for caster dps drops the last three full Naxx runs and I have had to pass on everything, and the next casters in line after me get to take it if they want it. Which sucks as the only moonkin in a guild filled with mages, locks and shadow priests.

Is there anything I can do or say to my guild to inform them that there is a lack of leather caster dps gear? Or for that matter, all the +hit seems to be on cloth gear. Most of the leather drops I see are built for Resto. I only get hit from two pieces I have... my T7 shoulders and T7 helm.